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D. D. RANNBY. GAN SOLDBRING MACHINE.

No. 437,453'. Patented Sept. 30. 1890.

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D. D. RANNEY. GAN SOLDBRING MACHINE.

(No Model.)

Patented Sepia. 30, 1890.

mi Nnnms w UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

DARXVIN D. RANNEY, OF YLEVVISTOVVN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR. TO HENRY 'W.PHELPS AND SARAH J. RANNEY, OF SAME PLACE.

CAN-SOLDERING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 437,453, datedSeptember 30, 1890.

` Application iiled October 14, 1889. Serial No. 326,954. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, DARWIN D. RANNEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lewistown, in the county of Fulton and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines forSoldering the Ends of Sheet-Metal Cans, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to a machine for solro dering the ends ofsheet-metal cans; and it consists in the devices and combinations ofdevices to that end, as hereinafter described, but particularly pointed.out in the claims.

' The mechanism and the preferred form of r 5 Vconstruction comprises acentral rotatable shaft with means for rotating the same, said shaftbearing arms radiating therefrom, said arms being iiexible and carryingat their outer ends a bifurcated frame-work, within which is pivoted aframe carrying clampmechanism; a central supporting-ring on which thesaid flexible arms bear, and to which is applied at certain intervalscams which are adapted to raise the arms and the can-carry- 2 5 ingframes in order to dip the cans into and raise them out of receptaclesfor a flux and a solder bath, which are provided at suitable intervals;cam-tracks which are adapted to engage the pivoted frame in order topresent first one end of the can and then the other to the flux andsolder; perforated air-pipes through which a blast of cold air isdirected upon the seams after they are soldered; a track for engagingone of the can-clamps in order to release the can, and means forsupplying the cans to and discharging them from the machine.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of the machine,all of the cancarrying frames, except six, and also the appliance f ordelivering the cans to the machine being omitted. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the machine looking in the direction of the arrow 2. Fig. 3is a side elevation looking in the direction of the arrow 3, Fig. 1; andFigs. 4, 5, and 6 are details of the supporting structure, Figs. 4 and 5showing also the cani-track in side elevation and cross-section,respectively.

5o 7 represents a shaft, which is rotatably secured` in an uprightposition in a step 8. Shaft 7 bears a worm-gear 9, with which enmeshes aworm-shaft 10, bearing a pulley 11,

to which power is applied to operate the machine. Toward the upper endof shaft 7 is 55 secured a iianged hub 12, and to the flange of said hubare secured the radiating arms 13.

14 is a strengthening-rim, to which each of the arms is secured, andwhereby their lateral movement is prevented. It is designed, when 6o theends of said arms are thus strengthened, vthat the rim 14 shall becapable of a slight vertical movement, and near their outer ends theyall ride upon a stationary ring-like support 15, which is carried bystandards 16, adjustably secured on legs 17, the upper ends of which arebent outwardly and adapted to support at their outer ends partspresently to be described.

Each of the arms 13 bears at its outer end 7o a yoke 18, between theouter ends of whose arms is pivoted a rectangular frame 19. Said framehas also toward one end thereof a crossbar v2O, and in said cross-barand the adjoining end bar is rotatably secured a stem 2l, 75 bearing adisk 22, which is adapted to bear against one end of the can. On theopposite end of the frame is a U-shaped bracket 23, and in this bracketand the end bar of the frame is journaled a stem 24, carrying at its 8oinner end a disk 25, which is adapted to bear against the other end ofthe can. Around the stem 24 is coiled a spiral spring 26, one end ofwhich is seated against the outer end of the frame 23 and the other endof which 85 bears against the collar of the stem 24. This spring holdsthe disk 25 normally in engagement with the end of the can. The frame 19is adapted to turn freely in a vertical plane in the yoke 18; but itsmovements are controlled by the projecting ends of the stems 2l 24,which engage circular tracks, hereinafter described, and the stem 24bears a roller 27, which at one point in the circuit engages acam-track, whereby said stem is moved out- 95 1 wardly, compressing thespring in order to release the can.

On the upwardly-turned ends 17 a of the legs 17 is carried a table 28,which has an opening 29 and a delivering-chute below said roo ered.

opening, through which the cans .are deliv- At oneend of said table issupported a segmental receptacle 31 to contain resin or a suitable iiuX,and at the end of said receptacle is a segmental receptacle 32 tocontain a solder bath, which willy be kept heated Aby burners 33, whichare preferably supplied with a vapor of gas and air from the pipes 3435.' In order to present the edge of the can to the iiux and solder, Iprovide a circular cam-guide, which may be in the form of a rod 36, andbeneath which the projecting end of stem 21 will pass as the can`movesaway from the table 28. The result of this will be to tilt theframe 19 on its pivot and to present the edge or corner of the can tothe flux bath, and the frictional contact of the stem 21 Vwith the rod36v will insure the rotation of the can while passing th rough theliquid. At the `meeting ends of the flux and solder receptacles cam 37will be placed, being adj ustably secured to the support 15, and whenthe arm carrying the can under operation reaches said cam it will belifted vertically, thus insuring the rise of thecan over the partitionbetween the iinid-receptaclesandthe ends thereof without injury. The canwill pass through the solder bath in the same way as through the fluxbath, and when raised out of the solder the projecting end of the stem21, still engaging the rod 3G, which at this point is bent inwardly,causes the frame 19 to assume an upright position in the yoke, thusholding the can in a verticalposition,inwhichpositionit passes betweentwo perforated pipes 38, through which cold air is forced upon thenewlysoldered seams. In order to prevent the frame from tipping whilepassing between the air-pipes, the supplemental guide 36a is provided.After the can -has passed the air-pipes it is necessary to still furthertilt the frame, in order to reverse the position of thecan tobring itsunsoldered end in position to be operated upon, and this is readilyelected by still further curving inwardly and upwardly the circularcam-guides 36 and 36a, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 at 36". When the canhas reached the end of the track 36h, the spring-bearing end of theframe 19,being heavier, will cause the outer end of the can to tipdownwardly in proper position to enter the linx-receptacle 31 and thesolder-receptacle 32u in succession.

To prevent the frame from dropping too suddenly, whereby the can mightbe injured, the rod 39 is provided, which is adapted to receive theprojecting end of the stem 24E.

The appliances for heating the solder and cooling the seams, beforedescribed, will be duplicated on the opposite side.of the machine, andat the end of the solder-receptacle the cam-guides 36 36a are resumedand are so disposed as to receive the projecting end of stem 24 and tocarry the same inwardly and downwardly, so as to cause the frame 19 toagain assumea vertical position as it passes between the air-pipes, atthe end of which it is bent sharply inward, as shown at 36C, whereby tocomplete the revolution of the frame in its bearing, thus restoring itto its initial position. It remains now to discharge the can from theframe and replace it with another. To perform this work the roller 27 ismade to engage with a short section of track 27a, which is so disposedas to gradually withdraw the stem 24 until the disk 25 is releasedfrom'the end of the can, whereupon the latter will drop through theopening 29 and roll down the ineline 30.

In order to feed the cans to the machine,I have provided the inclinedtrough 39, supported on the standards 40, and from these standardsprojects a bar 4,1, under which the roller 27 passes, and which barinsures the engagement of the roller with the cam-track 27 t and theconsequent release of the can. The cans willbe delivered over the line4:2, in which position the clamping-disks grasp them as the roller 27passes off the end of the cam-track 27, The above description isintended to set forth the preferred form-of construction, and is onewhich I have found efficient and serviceable in practical use; but it isevident that many of the structural features above described may bechanged without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

I claim- 1. [n a machine for soldering the ends of sheet-metal cans, thecombination,with a, central rotatable shaft, of arms rotatable with andradiating therefrom, said arms bearing at their outer endshorizontally-pivoted can-supporting frames, solder-receptacles arrangedconcentrically to the central shaft and beneath the path of the pivotedframes, and camtracks whereby said frames are revolvedin vertical orsubstantially vertical planesto present the ends of the can successivelyto the solder, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for soldering the ends of sheet-metal cans, thecombination, with a central rotatable shaft, of arms rotatable with andradiating therefrom, said arms bearing at their outer endshorizontally-pivoted can-supporting frames, solder-receptacles arrangedconcentrically to the central shaft and beneath the path of the pivotedframes, camtracks whereby said frames are revolved in vertical orsubstantially vertical planes to present the end of the can successivelytothe solder, and rotatable clamping devicessfor the can journaled. insaid fra-mes, substantially as described.

-3. In a machine for soldering theends of sheet-metal cans, thecombination,with a central rotatable shaft, of radiating arms havingyokes at the outer ends thereof, can-supporting frames journaled in saidyokes and adapted to be revolved in a vertical or substantially verticalplane, cam-tracks engaging said frames whereby to rotate them com#`pletely around on their axes, segmental solder-wells, and means fordelivering a blast of cold air to the seams, substantially as described.

TOO

4. In a machine for soldering the ends of sheet-metal cans, thecombination,with a ccntral rotatable shaft, of radiating arms bearingyoke-s, can-supporting frames journaled in said yokes, can-clampingdisks journaled' in said frame, the stems of said disks projectingbeyond the frame, and cam-tracks adapted to engage the projecting endsof said stems, whereby to revolve completely around the frame on itsaxis, substantially as described.

5. In a machine for soldering the ends of sheet-metal cans, thecombination,with a central rotatable shaft, radiatingarms,verticallyrevoluble frames jonrnaled thereto, and canclamping disksjonrnaled in said frame, of cam-tracks adapted to engage said frame androtated completely around on its axis, one of said disks having aninwardly-forcing spring connected with its stem, and a cam-track adaptedto engage said stem and compress the spring at one point of therevolution of the machine whereby to release the can, substantially asdescribed.

6. In a machine for soldering the ends of sheet-metal cans, thecombination of a eentral rotatable shaft having radiating arms formed ofa resilient material and bearing at the outer ends thereof avertically-rotatable frame, segmental solder-wells, and cams arranged inthe path of the moving arms whereby to raise the outer ends thereof topermit the can to pass into and out of the solder- Wells, substantiallyas described.

DARWIN D. RANNEY.

Witnesses:

M. K. CAMPBELL, W. M. BEGGS.

